Question regarding air quality sensor

Hello,

Whenever I measure the value of the air quality sensor I get a very fuzzy reading after some initial time, see attached image: airquality.png I read the value every 10s and it varies heavily.

Is this expected/normal or should there be a more stable reading as in the first hour? I.e. is the sensor defect or is there a method to get more “reliable” values?

Best regards,
Mike

In fact, this sensor should be powered for more than 48 hrs before you have a test with it. Or data is useless.

Does this mean that even after a short “power down” the sensor needs about 48hrs before I can extract reliable data?

Or: For how long can I switch off power before I need to wait 48hrs again to get realiable data from the sensor again?

Regards,
Mike

[Update] I put the sensor and the arduino for a day in a location where there are no other electronic devices. It turned out that now the reading is consistent. I.e. I think the other equipment irradiated into the circuit.

I will now shorten the cable between the arduino and the sensor and see if I can at least minimize the influence.

[Update2] I shortened the cable and put a bigger capacitor (10 muF) across the +5V and ground of the sensor. The reading seems to be stable now.

Best regards,
Mike